#26: Casting As Attorney Ben Matlock In Matlock In 1986
In 1986, Andy Griffith was cast as criminal defense attorney Ben Matlock in the NBC series Matlock. The role marked a major career reinvention after years without a defining hit.
Matlock combined Griffith’s Southern cadence with sharp intelligence and moral authority. The series allowed him to age naturally on screen while retaining centrality, introducing him to a new generation of viewers and reestablishing him as a television lead well into middle age.